A Piece of Music
by CSINYNut
Summary: Here's my go at the Shuffle challenge. There are many pairings....but it will also include my OC. I will let you know the pairing as the story goes. Also, some chapters contain slash pairings...just a warning
1. The Fever

This is my take on the shuffle challenge by Madison. The Fever is by The Academy Is... I am borrowing Speedle from Zuiker, but I had to promise to give him back :(. So I don't own him or Danny.

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Danny woke up, as his alarm rang, with a horrible headache and as sweaty as he could possibly be in a New York Winter. He realized that he had contradicted the illness that had been going around the lab. He reached over for his cell phone and called Mac.

After falling back to sleep, he thought he could hear someone walking around his kitchen. He closed his eyes again, figuring that he was just delirious because of the fever but he soon realized that he was wrong, as his bedroom door opened. He looked over and shook his head.

"This is your fault, you know!" Danny whispered

"I know, why do you think I'm here."

"I hate you"

"No you don't, you love me."

"Of course I do Timmy, but I just hate being sick."

"I know sweetie, everyone does. Just eat this and go back to sleep."

Danny realized that if this is what happened whenever he was sick, maybe he'd get sick more often. Knowing what he was thinking, Tim shook his head and said, "You know, keep getting sick and I will call your mother!" As quickly as the thought entered his head it was gone.


	2. Need a Little Time

Here is number two. It's with the song "Need a Little Time" a Entrance theme song for Torrie Wilson from the WWE. There's no direct pairing or spoliers because it does include my OC Julia Flack...I own her but not Don

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"It's not forever. I just need some time to be by myself. I still love you and I always will. Just remember that please?"

There were tears and plenty of hugs. Don knew that there was nothing to stop his baby sister from walking away from her love and her family. He didn't know when she would return, or if she ever would.

"Just promise me something?" Don asked

"What?" Julia replied

"Keep in contact at least. I don't care how long you are gone for, just ring or write."

Julia closed her eyes and took a deep breathe, "Of course. Love you bro."

"I love you too Jules."

Don watched as she entered the cab and it pulled away from the curb leaving him in its dust.


	3. Last Kiss

Number Three. This song belongs to Mest called "Last Kiss". D/F pairing. WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!! I don't want to ruin the ending so I will put a little note at the end.

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Don held his love tightly in his arms as they tried to move away.

"I don't want you to leave me."

"I have to it's for the best. This has to be done."

"We can always be together. If we do this together."

"Donnie, I love you but I can't let you throw your life away because of me."

"Danny, I love you so much. I would do anything for you. Including this. I don't want to be here without you."

"You realize, if you do this with me, there's no turning back."

"I don't care." Danny shook his head; he couldn't believe that he was being persuaded. He felt he had been living a lit the last few years. Work felt like nothing. After Louie died, it felt as if he had lost everything. He felt empty. Yeah, he had Don's love but that was all he had. This was his last option. He turned his back from Don, and grabbed the bottle of pills.

He turned back and grabbed Don in a mind blowing kiss. "See you soon." He down the handful of Prozac and drank a quarter of vodka. He closed his eyes as he felt the darkness come. The last words uttered from his mouth were, "I love you."

As he watched his lover die, Don's heart began to break. He needed to be with Danny now and forever. He grabbed his 9mm and closed his eyes. "I love you too" he cried as he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Mac and Stella walked into the tension filled apartment.

"Neighbors say they heard a gun shot just after he came home." Angell said as she pointed to her fallen partner's body.

"I can tell you that TOD on Danny was about an hour ago. Don's wasn't' that far behind."

"So, Don came home to find Danny unconscious and knew there was nothing left he could do and filled with grief he took himself to be with his love." Stella theorized.

No matter what everyone else thought that as how the reports read.

* * *

Here's my little note: I DO NOT condone suicide as a means to an end. This was strictly for a story. If you have these types of thoughts PLEASE talk to a family member, a close friend or seek professional help. I know in Canada, we have the Kids Help Phone, I'm not sure what is in the US. But find help. Trust me, it's not worth it. There are too many people out there that will be affect by your decision.


	4. Blood Brother

Number Four. Blood Brother is the theme for Christian from the WWE. WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH! I know what you are saying. I apologize in advance for all the deathly stories that I am writing. I will try to come up with some cheerful ones soon, and I will try and finish some other stories of mine. I don't own who you may recognize.

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I looked through the glass into a darken room filled with sorrow. I knew that there was no way that I could go in there without feeling some sort of guilt. I knew that it was my fault that they were all in this situation. I could have done something to stop it.

I turned to walk out the door, go back to my apartment and drink away my guilt, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and looked at the man that I looked up to the most in my life. The person whom I had wished was really my father, not the bastard I ended up with. I bent my head and closed my eyes.

"It's not your fault Danny." Mac whispered in my ear.

"How can it not be? I was supposed to back him up. It should be me lying in that coffin not Don. He was like my brother. We protected each other out there. I should've had his back."

"You couldn't have known that the perp was going to come around the corner and ambush you guys. There was no way." Stella said. Danny was surprised to hear her voice. He didn't know that she was even there.

"But he was my blood brother."

"What do you mean?" Mac questioned

"What no one knows is that we were friends before work. We met in the academy and after graduation we never saw each again until I came to work at the lab. Anyways, we made a pack. We figured we would always work together. We made a, sort of, blood pack one drunken night that we would always have each others back no matter what happened. I let him down. I let you all down."

"You didn't let anyone down. You did what you had to do. Now come on, his parents are waiting for you. They don't blame you. They knew you both were close."

Stella took my hand and led me into the sanctuary. I tensed as everyone watched me walk to the front and sit down beside Don's mom. She took my hand as well and I took a deep breathe. I didn't know how I would get through it.

After that, everything was a blur. The next thing I knew, we were sitting at the bar and toasting Don the same way we toasted Aiden. We all headed out at the same time. I felt a presence beside me and looked to see Lindsey walking beside me. We smiled at each other and we headed into the moonlight. It was then that I knew everything was going to be ok and that Don was going to be watching my back for the rest of my life.


	5. Girlfriend

Number 5. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. This one is filled with fluff and angst compared to my last few. I don't own anyone.

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Adam walked into his apartment that he shared with his boyfriend of two years, to hear Avril Lavigne blaring from the speakers in their living room. He walked into the kitchen and saw the almighty Timothy Speedle shaking his ass to one of his favorite songs. Adam couldn't help but laugh out loud. Tim spun around to see Adam standing in the doorway laughing at him.

"Oh so what. You want to have a girlfriend now?" Adam questioned.

"Never. You know that I love you. It's my favorite song you know that." Tim leaned forward and gave his lover a kiss.

"I know sweetie I was just joking. I still have to get use to coming in here and see you doing that. I missed having you around."

Tim had gone back to Miami for a few weeks to visit his old friends. After resurfacing in New York, doing some undercover work for the FBI, two and a half years ago, he decided that it would be best for him to go back and see everyone. Adam had been left alone that whole time. With no one knowing that he and Tim were together, everyone thought that he and Kendall were together. He let them all believe that only because he didn't know what everyone's reaction would be to finding out that their favorite lab tech was gay.

As if almost reading his lover's mind, Tim walked over and put his arms around Adam's waist. "You know you are going to need to tell them eventually."

"Yeah, but I don't know how everyone is going to react. They all think that Kendall and I are together and are calling us the next Danny and Lindsey. I wish you would come back to work so that I wouldn't have to deal with them."

"You know that being a cop has nothing to offer me anymore. I've done my civic duty and I'm pretty content with letting you bring all the money into the house. Maybe I should get a job, I will when I am ready. For now, I just want to be able to spend some time with the one that I love."

Adam sighed, "I know. But here's my question for you. Do you think your life would be better if you were dating someone else?"

"You mean a female?" Adam nodded. "Hell no. I had enough of that when I was living in Miami, going out partying with Eric every weekend. Adam, when I met you, my life changed, for good. There's no one else in this world that I would rather spend the rest of my life with. Baby, I love you. If you don't want to tell them then fine. I'm fine with that."

Adam couldn't help but smile. That was the answer that he was looking for. "What would you do if I told you that I was ready to tell everyone about us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, today at work, Danny has hounding me about my new girlfriend. For some reason he doesn't think that Kendall and I are together. So I started to describe what I thought of you, leaving out the part that it was a different gender and he told me that he was happy for me, but that he wanted to meet this person."

"Please tell me that you didn't invite them over." Adam turned away with a grin on his face. "What time are they going to be here at?"

"Around 7. Look its 5:30 now; we have time for you to cook something good and to clean up a little. Trust me it's going to be fine."

"It's not that I am nervous, I told everyone in Miami about us during my trip. I just don't want you to get hurt if the reaction is not what you expect."

"You know what, if they aren't happy for me and you, then I don't really care. They can go to hell for all I care." Tim couldn't help but smile. He looked at the clock and headed back to the kitchen to start dinner.

By the time Adam was done in the shower and had the living room cleaned up, it was almost 7 o'clock. It was then that his nervous started to expand. The sudden knock on the door made him glad that when you entered the apartment you couldn't see the kitchen.

"Are you going to get that?" Tim's voice shook him from his head. He nodded and watched as Tim headed back to the kitchen. He opened the door with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys. Thanks for coming." One by one his co-workers entered the apartment smiling.

"Well, where is she Ross?" Danny asked.

"Sit down in the living room and I will introduce you." Adam watched as everyone sat down in a spot in the living room. He walked into the kitchen and looked at a sharply dressed Tim Speedle.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked.

"As ready as I will ever be." He walked back out with a tray full of beer and wine and knew that Tim was right behind him. Tim stopped at the entrance way and waited for Adam to be ready. He watched as Adam set the tray down and headed out the drinks.

"So, you all wanted to meet the new person in my life, but I have to tell you that you are all going to be shocked to say the least."

"What do you mean? You're going to tell us that you're gay?" Danny joked

Adam went pale when Danny started to joke. Everyone else looked at each other, knowing what was about to come. Don stood up and walked over to Adam. He put his arm around his shoulder and looked down at him.

"Adam, no matter what. You're our friend and we support you one hundred percent no matter what Mr. Sensitivity says over there." At the end of the mini-speech, Adam's confidence soared through the roof. He took a step back, and smiled at everyone.

"Alright. Well, here's the truth. I have been seeing someone for about two years and everything that I told you about them today, Danny, was true. The only thing that everyone thought wasn't. Their not my girlfriend." Adam turned around and smiled as Tim walked into the room. "He's my boyfriend and he's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He looked around the room and there wasn't a disappointed look in the room. Danny looked at him and nodded his head. "I'll tell you Buddy. This isn't what I expected but just like Don said I am behind you one hundred percent. And Tim, he's like my little brother. Hurt him and I will hurt you."

Everyone let out a small laugh. Tim looked around the room. "Well, dinner is ready." Everyone followed Tim and Adam into the dining room and enjoyed a peaceful dinner as a group of friends who no matter what, was going to be there for each other. Adam couldn't have been happier.

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Here's my question for everyone...does anyone know how to indent on here. I've tried some stuff but they don't work.


	6. Legs

Number Six. This is Legs by Kid Rock, which was used by Stacy Kiebler from the WWE as her entrance theme.

I don't own anyone that you may recognize, I own Julia Flack/Messer. There are a few possible spoilers in this about my other story. I'm not sure how far that one is going to go.

Read and Review

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"Sweetie, maybe if you had lifted with your legs and not your back you wouldn't be in this predicament." Julia Messer yelled as she walked through her and her new husband, Danny's, new house.

"Yeah well, maybe if your brother had actually shown up to help us move everything in, I wouldn't have had to lift everything by myself."

"He got called into work this morning. You know how these things work themselves out. He told you when you asked for his help that he was on call and that he might not be able to."

"Still doesn't make my back feel any better."

"I guess we better be glad that you don't do a real heavy lifting job, like Sid, or else we would be screwed."

"You think I am going to work like this."

"Better then me going in with a back injury, everyone would be really wondering what we were doing in our new house. Plus, just think of it this way, you will probably get to stay in the lab doing little work while the rest of us have to do real work in this sweltering heat." She sat down beside her couch-ridden husband and looked him in the eyes. "You know that I could've helped you move stuff around."

"I know but if your dad or brother's found out that I let you move heavy stuff in your condition. I wouldn't even live to see our beautiful baby's first day." Danny replied as he rubbed his hands over Julia's 7 month swelling belly and smiled. He couldn't wait for the arrival of his new baby.

Julia looked down and put her hands on top of Danny's. She remembered all the struggles that they had been through to get to where they were that day. She wouldn't change a thing. Everything brought them closer together.

"Now," Julia said as she stood up. "You get to lay there for the rest of the afternoon and I am going out to meet the girls. I will also call Dad, Don, and Adam to come over to help you with the rest of this stuff. Don't live anything else or you really won't live to see the birth of your child."

Danny stayed lying of the couch as he heard his wife move around the house with the phone against her ear making all the preparations for people to come and help him. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of her coming home and nursing him back to health.


	7. Fame

Number Seven. This is the farthest that I have ever come while writing a story. I like these types of things. If anyone else wants me to do something like this, just give me a subject and I will write about it. Anyways the song is: Fame Infamy by Fall Out Boy. I don't own anyone, except for maybe the Messer parents. Read and Review. I love hearing what people think of my writing. I don't have a muse, I just have the thoughts running rapidly through my head :). This is set just after the ending of Snow Day, so some spoiler.

* * *

The thought of being "famous" made Don Flack Jr. sick. He was famous at the expense of everyone else. He nearly cost his two best friends their lives. He couldn't help but think that if he hadn't have been in on the drug raid that morning that none of his friends would be in any sort of danger.

He walked into the hospital corridor and saw Tim Speedle and Mr. and Mrs. Messer along with all of his other co-workers. He thought about sneaking back out but knew that they were all waiting for him to show up and yell at him for everything, at least that's what he hoped was going to happen.

The first person to spot him was Stella Bonesera. His confident, his rock. He bowed his head not wanting to make eye contact. "Where have you been? Everyone was worried."

Don quickly scoffed. "I'm sure everyone was worried about me. Why be worried about me? Be worried about Danny and Adam. I'm the reason why they are here in the first place. If you want to do anything for me, be mad at me, yell at me. But don't worry about me, I don't deserve it."

Tim slowly walked over to the couple. "We can worry about them at the same time. It's not your fault this happened. It's the drug lords' fault that the two of them are here. We aren't to yell at you, there's no need to feel guilty. No one in this room is going to blame you for anything that happened today. You don't deserve it." Tim led him to a chair and let him absorb everything that he said.

"Any word on them yet?" Don whispered

"Adam's going to be ok. The burns on his hands are the worse thing that the doctor's are worried about. There's no infection yet but they are hoping that none is going to set in. Mentally it's going to take him awhile to get back. As for Danny, they aren't sure if they are going to put his fingers back to what they were before. They were broke pretty bad and even though Danny reset them, they don't know what the damage is going to be."

Don let out a breath. He vowed to himself then and there that he was going to help his friends through their injuries. "I'm going to be there to help them."

"And I'm sure that they will appreciate that. I know I do, because like Adam wanted, I'm going back to work." Don looked up at Tim. "Yeah, Mac has agreed to let me take all the tests and start at the bottom and work my way back up. So Adam and Danny are going to need all the help that we are all going to be able to give them. I don't want you to blame yourself anymore ok?"

Don nodded. Just as Danny and Adam needed time to heal their minds after the experience, he was going to need time to take the blame off of himself and put it where it belonged.


	8. Attention

Number Eight. Only two more to go. Firstly, I want to thank Madison Bellows for her review. I thought no one was reading this. This one is for you. Secondly, this may contain some more spoilers based on my OC, Julia. Thirdly, this is based on The Academy is..., "Attention, Attention". Lastly, I don't anyone that you may recognize. Read and Review everyone.

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Danny looked around at the over a hundred guests and couldn't help but smile. The day that no one thought would happen, the happiest day of his life, even he thought that it was nearly impossible for it to happen. He remembered telling Mac years ago that love, even marriage, would never happen to him and yet there he was.

He looked out on the dance floor and saw his blushing bride dancing with his brother, laughing and carrying on. A hand on his shoulder shook him from his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at his new brother-in-law.

"Well, Messer. You've always been like a brother to me. You just had to go and marry my sister to make it official didn't you?"

"Well, Donnie, that's the way I do things." He looked back out at the dance floor. "She's the love of my life. There's nothing that I wouldn't do for that woman."

"I know, I trust you. Plus, I will get my revenge." Don laughed as he left a shocked looking Danny in his wake. He walked up to the stage and motioned for the DJ to cut the music. "Can I have everyone's attention?" Everyone turned and looked at him. "Thanks. Now, the one thing that we haven't done tonight is the speeches. Since I am the best man, and the bride's brother, I will do the honours of embarrassing both of them.

"Danny has been my best from for as long as I can remember. Even though he has had his share of bad experiences, I can always tell when his hard is true about something. And I know that his heart is true when it comes to my sister. Now, my sister Julia Maria Flack, we use to get a kick out of the fact that out Nona's name was Maria and dad married a Marie." Everyone else started to laugh as Julia watched her brother talk with sincerity in his voice.

"I, um, have always been close with Julia. Since I can remember, I have always wanted to protect her and I still do. But I know that I have to share that responsibility with three other people now. I can remember late night fights you had with mom, and then finding you outside in our old tree fort. We used to sit until all hours of the night just talking about out future and what we were going to do with our lives. I loved those talked and I miss them, but I know that there will be plenty of talks in the future. Just remember we are all here for you, me, dad and Adam. And, Danny, the same goes for you. Don't ever forget that you have a group of friends that love you no matter how bad you think you have screwed up, we have you back." Don put the microphone down and walked over to where Julia, Danny and Adam were standing. Julie pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry. We still have plenty to talk about." Don smiled as he let her go and looked over at Danny.

"Thanks, bro. And don't worry, I have your back too, always have and always will."

The party went will into the night with more stories told and with friendships and family relationships growing stronger.


	9. Dance Floor Anthem

I know I know...it's been forever since I last update this but this is one of the last chapters. It's not as good as my others (if they are good) because I rushed through it. I hope there are still people out there reading my stuff and I haven't scared you off. This one contains my OC, Julia, plus some spoilers for my other story, Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder. The song belongs to Good Charlotte. I'm only borrowing the characters except for Julia and Emma. R&R

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Danny and Don looked at each other in disbelieve. They couldn't believe that their friends actually brought them to a club, a dance club of all places. The thought alone made Don shiver.

"You people actually think that we" as he points to himself and Danny, "would actually step foot into that dance club."

"Of course, you will do it because you love us." His younger sister, Julia, who was also married to Danny, said with a smirk on her face. "Plus, you get to have a little bit of fun on your night off and maybe even get a little drunk."

Danny looked at his wife and had to smile. He knew that she had him right where she wanted him. "What about you two?" He said as he looked over at his brother-in-law and his significant other.

"We are looking to try something new. Plus, Jules has never steered any of us wrong, so why not go out and have some fun. It's not like we all have to work in the morning or we have to drive home." Adam said as he grasped Tim Speedle's hand and looked back and forth from Danny to Don.

From the outside of the club, the group could hear the pounding bass of the dance music flowing through them. Danny and Don looked at each and shook their head. They knew that they had no other choice but to go along with what everyone else was doing.

"Alright let's just get this over with." Don said as he grabbed his girlfriend's, Emma, hand. The group walked inside the club and had one of the most memorable nights, filled with drunken antics and actual dancing.


	10. End of Everything

Well, here is the last one. I will tell you that this one took me awhile to write. For some reason, once I heard the song, my muse just wouldn't let me stop writing. The song belongs to the WWE, it's Raven's Theme song "End of Everything" This one is really long, and you might want to have some Kleenex near by because I wrote this and I even cried. It is another cross-over between Miami and New York and it is kinda spoiler-ish for "Lost Son". I don't own any of these characters.

Oh and go and check out the Fan Fiction awards in the Forum. There are some amazing authors and stories out there that deserve to be nominated. Let me know what you think of this chapter...so that means Read and Review. Thanks all and I will be back with Beauty soon.

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Danny woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He rolled over and stretched into the sunlight that was coming through his bay window. He reached over and saw it was his lieutenant's number.

"Yeah, Messer"

"Danny, I know that it's your day off and I'm not calling for you to come in. There's been an accident." Horatio Caine said with a heavy heart.

"What do you mean, an accident?" Danny said as he sat up in bed. "Is everyone ok?" By everyone, he meant the only person who meant the world to him. As he waited for the lieutenant's answer he looked down at the ring on his finger and smiled.

"Not really. I need you to meet me at the hospital."

Danny felt like he was suddenly being chocked. He knew that going to the hospital only meant one thing. "Please tell me what happened?" He stuttered as he got ready to leave. He put his phone on speaker and set it down.

"I would feel better telling you face to face."

"It's Tim isn't it?"

"I wouldn't be calling you otherwise."

"I'm on my way."

Danny headed out to the garage that he and his lover shared. He and Tim had been together for only two years, since they met over the phone on the cross country case, but when they met face to face it was love at first sight for both of them. At first they had tried to go with a long distance relationship but when it wasn't working, Danny did the unthinkable. He requested a transfer from the New York Crime Lab to the Miami-Dade Crime Lab to be closer to the one he loved. He had the support of everyone that he had worked with because of the fact that they knew how much Danny cared for Tim and vice versa. Even though they were going to miss him, they knew what was best for him and that was to be in Miami.

He arrived at the hospital as quickly as he could and headed towards the ER. He looked around for his boss and saw him standing in front of a room. He ran towards him and skidded to a halt. He looked into the room that his boss was staring into and gasped. He couldn't believe the amount of blood that was surrounding his lover, it brought back sudden memories of his last visit to New York. The memories came flooding back to him like the blood that was flowing through his veins.

Standing in front of the room that Louie was in being looked after was on his top 5 scariest things in life. He had gotten a phone call from Mac a day before telling him that his DNA had come up in a case and they needed him to come back to set some things straight. Tim had wanted to come with him but Danny reassured him that he wouldn't be long, if only he knew. The only thing he knew as he was standing watching his brother battle between the lines of life and death was the pair of arms that wrapped themselves around his waist was the only thing keeping him standing at that very moment. He could smell Tim's distinctive smell, very little cologne, hair gel and, for some reason, cinnamon gum, this smell alone was giving him the little comfort that he needed. He turned and put himself into the clutches of his lover and sighed.

"Everything's going to be ok." Tim told him. He didn't know if he could believe that. He had seen many horrible crime scenes in his time but the sight of his brother laying on a gurney being operated on was the one thing that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He looked up and saw Don standing over on the far side of the hallway looking anywhere but at Danny and Tim. He grabbed Tim's hand and walked over and looked Don in the eye. There was always a part of Danny that would always love Don more then a friend but he would never admit it out in the open. The three men sat down and waited for any news.

Danny was brought back to the present when the door to Tim's room opened and a doctor, covered in his lover's blood, walked out looking sombre. Danny could feel his heart begin to tighten as the doctor walked over to where they were standing. He had tried to prepare himself for the worse but he always thought that they would be together forever, until death do us part, that was the way it was suppose to be.

"Are you here for Detective Speedle?" Both men nodded.

Danny step forward and looked into the doctors eyes, "I'm his husband"

"I am really sorry. We have done all we can. Unfortunately there is just too much damage. Even if there was more we could do, Mr. Speedle has lost too much blood for him to be able to wake up."

"How long?"

"Right now we have him on machines to keep him alive. Unfortunately that's all that is keeping him alive. Are you the only family in the area?" Danny nodded his head. "I am going to take it since you are life partners that you are also his next of kin?" The thought of being notified as the next of kin was hard for Danny to grasp. He always remembered doing the notifications but never once had he been notified.

Horatio, seeing the conflict in the young man's eyes, stepped forward. "Yes, he is. Can you give us a few moments?" The doctor nodded and slowly walked back into the room. Horatio could feel Danny shaking underneath his hand. "Danny, you need to make a decision."

"He wouldn't want to be hook up to all those machines if he couldn't fight, it's what we had discussed if something like this ever happened. But how can I turn off all those machines, the very things that are keeping the one person who knows me better then me?"

Danny stepped back and sat down. Out of every decision he had to make in his life leading up to this moment, it had been the hardest. After a few moments, he stood back up and walked towards Tim's room. With his hand on the door handle, he took a deep breathe and slowly entered the room. He looked the doctor in the eye and silently gave a plea for some time alone. The doctor granted him the privacy and walked out with the nurses in tow. Danny walked over to the bed and saw his best friend attached to wires and tubes. He hung his head and started to sob.

"I can't do it. I can't stand here and watch you be supported by so many machines but I can't let you go. Why couldn't you have stayed home today? Why did you have to be so selfish and go to work? How can you leave me?" Danny didn't know what he was feeling anymore. Part of him was angry at Tim but the other part of him was hurting, just wanting his lover to hold him and tell him that it was going to be ok. He heard the door slowly open and straighten up.

"I know you will probably want a few more minutes but I need to know what you want to do so that we can either move Mr. Speedle or do whatever else we need to do." The doctor explained.

Danny turned around and looked out the window. He saw all his Miami co-workers standing, looking in at him. "Um, I think that it would be best if, um, he wasn't attached to all of this. I know that he wouldn't want it. But can you give them a minute to say goodbye?" He pointed to the group standing outside the door. The doctor nodded and let him leave the room first. Danny looked up at everyone and sub-consciously wrapped his arms around himself, trying to feel Tim there with him. "I've come to a decision and hate me for it, I don't care. Tim and I talked about it a while ago when we first got, married, I guess. And we both came to an agreement that if it came to this we both didn't want to be hooked up to anything. So what I am trying to say is, is that they've allowed you all a few minutes to say whatever you need to. I can't make him live, I can't make him come back to me. The only thing I can give him peace."

Eric Delko stepped forward and pulled Danny into a hug. "It's what he would want. We can't get mad at you for that. You're right, you can give him peace."

One by one everyone entered the room and said their goodbyes. When everyone was finished Danny walked in, followed by the doctor, took Tim's hand and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll love you forever baby, I promise. You never judged me, you loved me for who I was, and not what my past was. You proved to me that love existed and I thank you for that. Take care my love. I will see you someday." Danny slowly nodded his head and watched as the doctor turned off all the machines. It didn't take long for Tim's heart monitor to flat line and when it did, Danny felt a small part of himself die along side Tim. He felt a pair of hands of his shoulders guiding him out of the room. As he got to the door, he turned around one last time and whispered "I love you".

The next 24 hours were the hardest for Danny. He knew that there were numerous phone calls that he had to make but he just didn't feel like making them. Luckily, Eric had offered to call and make the necessary arrangements at the funeral home and contacting what was left of Tim's family. The only other phone call that Eric made, unbeknownst to Danny, was to Danny's family back in New York.

As soon as Mac Taylor heard the news of Tim's death, he gathered everyone in the break room and began to make arrangements for them to fly down for a few days together. The one who took the news the hardest was Flack. Danny was his best friend and so, in some ways, was Tim. He couldn't imagine what Danny was going through. He decided to fly down before anyone else and see if he could do anything to help Danny through the hardest time in his life.

When he arrived in Miami, Don spotted Eric a mile away. They shook hands and headed to Eric's car. Don took a deep breathe as they were headed to Danny and Tim's condo on the beach. "How has he been?"

"Better then I expected. Although, I think that he is trying to show everyone that he can handle this."

"That sounds like Danny. The only one to be able to get through to his emotions, was Tim."

"And you from what I hear."

"What? Danny and I are best friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That's not what I meant. Before Tim came into Danny's life, you were always there for him. Made him a human being with actual emotions."

Don couldn't believe his ears. "Where did you hear this from?"

"Danny. The night Tim died, I went over to see if there was anything that I could do. We sat and had a few drinks and we ended up talking a lot about his life in New York. Sounds like he misses it. From what I gathered, he and Tim were considering moving back there. It's not like Tim had real family living down here, only us." Don shook his head. He knew that Danny was missing everyone, but for Tim to be more then willing to move to New York for Danny was amazing. He gained more respect for the fallen detective.

They pulled into the driveway of the condo and Don slowly got out. "Does he know that I am coming?"

"I didn't tell him."

"Good. He never liked me seeing him vulnerable. I can take it from here. You go home, get some sleep and I'll see you in two days at the wake." Don headed up the stairs to the front door and let himself in with the key that Danny gave him 6 months before. The house was eerily quiet as Don put down his bag and moved deeper into the living room. He could hear the TV on in the bedroom and headed towards the sound. As he got closer, he could hear Tim's voice, mixed with laughter, and a hint 

of crying mixed in. He slowly opened the door and saw Danny laying on the bed, surrounded by Kleenex, watching old home movies. He smiled to himself and entered the room with little sound.

Danny could swear he heard movement behind him. Part of him actually thought that it was Tim coming home. He rolled over and saw the body of his best friend about to sit on the end of the bed. He let out a small smile and sat up. "When did you get here?"

"About a half an hour ago. Eric picked me up. I thought that I would come down before everyone else and see if you needed anything."

"Everyone else?"

"Yeah. The whole team is coming down to support you Dan. We all love you." Don took Danny into his arms as Danny started to cry at the thought of his old co-workers coming to pay their respects to someone that they had only met a few times.

The next few days were the toughest for Danny but Don being there made it a little more tolerable. They both had begun to pack some things up and making final preparations for the family. The day of the wake, Danny didn't want to get out of bed. He just wanted to stay in his nice warm bed watching old movies, hoping that Tim would still be coming home. Then he realized that Tim wasn't coming home and that he wouldn't have anyone to hold him tight after a long shift and tell him that things would only be getting better. Don, with the help of the team, was able to get Danny out of bed and dressed for the longest day of his life. They all knew that he didn't want to stand around and listen as everyone sent their condolences to him. So after only an hour and a half, Don walked Danny out to the car and drove them both back to the house. As soon as the car was in park, Danny got out and headed around back. He looked out over the ocean and closed his eyes.

"We picked this house for a reason. We both always wanted a place that overlooked the ocean and had its own private beach area. We were going to adopt a child in the coming years, and they were going to need somewhere to play. He gave me everything I ever wanted. A house, a life, his love."

"Then that's what you have to hold onto Dan. Hold onto everything he gave you, hold onto his love. That's what he would want you to do. Tim loved his life just as much as he loved you. So all you need to do is to hold onto that love."

A few minutes later, the men walked back into the house and began to prepare themselves for the emotion day that was ahead of them. Danny knew that he was going to have to speak, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. No one knew Tim as well as he did.

The next morning saw Danny up bright and early. For some reason he wanted to get an early start to the day. He had thought out what he wanted to say, made sure everything was packed and ready to go and had showered once before getting really antsy. Don walked into the kitchen to see Danny pacing back and forth, they had about 45 minutes before they would have to leave for the funeral home.

"Anything you want to do before we leave?" Danny shook his head, at this point, he didn't trust his voice.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Danny was allowed a few private moments before the ceremonies were to begin. He said his prayers and his "final" goodbyes before swallowing his tears and heading into the chapel. Most of the service was a blur for Danny. He knew that Don was on one side of him, while his mom, dad and Louie were sitting behind him along with his co-workers from New York and Miami. When he lifted his head up, he looked in the pastor's eyes and knew that it was his time. He stood up on shaky legs and made his way to the podium.

He cleared his throat and took off his glasses. "Tim always did like me without my glasses on. Said that it was me in my most pure form. That's what drew me to him, when we first met. He had this ability to make you feel as if you were the most perfect person on the planet. He knew how to make me laugh, that's the other thing that he loved about me, was my laugh. I remember, we were sitting outside, one night after we had just moved into the new house, looking out over the beach and something funny had caught my eye and I started to laugh. Tim told me that if there was one thing that he would want to capture in a time capsule for the future to find, it would be my laugh. I feel in love with a man's voice. That was the way we first met. Working a case together over the phone. We talked for a while after that and then we decided to meet for a few drinks while I was on vacation, and the rest they say is history.

"I guess I should thank everyone for all their support the last few days. They have been the hardest for me. But I don't think that I would have gotten through them as well as I did if it weren't for all my friends and family, that love me almost as much as Tim did. I was standing outside last night, looking over the beach and someone told me that the only thing that I needed to hold onto from Tim was his love for me. I think it's safe to say that there was a lot of that. From what I have heard from people, he talked about me a lot, the good, the bad and the ugly.

"I'm not going to stand up here and talk about how much I am going to miss Tim, because that is a given. Of course I am going to miss him, I loved him more then I loved anything else, even my job. But I realized something. Tim wouldn't want me, or any of us, to stand around and cry and talk about how great of a person he was. Everyone already knows that. He would want us to go out and celebrate live. Because we are the lucky ones, we get to stick around for longer then he did. So please, when this is all over, tell the person that you love, that you love them. Don't take anything for granted because it can be taken away in the blink of an eye. Now, I know that there are other things that have to be dealt with but I want to offer to anyone here today, that has a story or something that they want to share with everyone about Tim, to feel free to come up and talk. I feel that doing this is the best way to celebrate Tim's life because that is what we are here to do." Danny stepped down from the podium and stopped in front of Tim's coffin. He bent down and gave Tim one last kiss on the cheek and stepped away.

He sat back down beside Don and listened as, one by one, people got up and shared personal stories of how Tim affected their life in one way or another.

After everything was said and done, Danny couldn't wait to get out of his suit and tie. He had invited people back to the house to share some food, some laughs and a few drinks before everyone headed home. It felt as if it were one last hurrah for Tim; the end of everything.

Two days later, Danny was, once again, standing on his back deck watching the water. He heard the door open and turned around to see his best friend walking out the door. "You ready to go?"

"You know what? I am. I feel good doing this. I know everyone feels that I am abandoning everything I had here, but the only thing that was keeping me here was Tim and I know that he wouldn't want me to feel obligated to stay."

"Is it true that you guys were thinking about moving back to New York?"

"Yeah, we were. We hadn't really talked about it but it was an option. I guess I'm just doing it alone."

"You're not alone. You've got all of us, your job, and most importantly, your memories. You can always come back for a visit whenever you want."

Danny nodded and headed out to the front of the house. He looked back and the structure and couldn't help but smile. He knew that no matter where he lived, whether it is New York or Miami, Tim would always be with him.


End file.
